Method for making belts



April 16, 1940. E. G. KIMMlcH METHOD FOR'MAKING BELTS Filed Dec. 22, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l Apri1 16, 1940, E- G- KMMICH 2,197,569

METHOD Fon MAKING BELTS Filed Deo. 22, 1954' 2 sheets-sheet 2 wrm/way y Patented Apr. 16, 1940 PATENT OFFICE METHOD FOB MAKING BELTS Elmer G. Kinmich, A-kron, Ohio, assignor `to Wingfoot Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation of Delaware Application December 22, 1934, Serial No. 758,869

6 Claims.

This invention relates to flexible rubberized belts and to treated cords therefor and to methods particularly designed for producing the improved cords and belts. f

It is well known to make belts of rubber strengthened by fabric. It hash however, been found that the use of the usual rubberized fabric does not adapt itself `entirely to the manufacture of belts due to the tension and compression forces on the fabric as caused by high flexing to which the belts Vare ordinarily subjected when in use and, for example, moving around pulleys of small radii. lIt'shas, accordingly, been proposed to make a belt with a rubber body reinforced at a substantially central or the so-called neutral plane only, with one or more strands or layers of strength-carrying cords which are adapted to transmit the driving forces of the belt. Above and below the plane of reinforcing cords the belt body is adapted to be placed under compression or tension without causing rup ture of the belt. The belt body mayif desired,

be coated or wrapped with rubberized fabric rwhich functions as an envelope to protect the 35 beltv and obtain a better driving contact.

In the past with the various forms of belts heretofore described some difficulty has been experienced due to the belts stretching even when reinforced with a circumferentially wound cord placed'in the belt. Stretching of the reinforcing cords and thus the belt necessitates employing adjusting or takeup means on the belt mounting and still further has been found to reduce belt life by permitting slippage and wear in belts.

In order to reduce belt stretch ithas been proposed to fmake tighter and stronger threads and cords by twisting the same when wet, however it has been found that this general method does not permanently remove the desired amount of stretch from the cords.

It is accordingly an object of the present in vention to avoid andxovercome the above-listed ditliculties of prior-known belt structures and methods of building by the provision of an improved, substantially stretchless cord and method of making the same for use in belts or the like.

(Cl. 154-4? d described and. illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. lis a plan view partly broken away of the apparatus for producing the stretchless flexible 5 Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tensioning and 1 dipping apparatus seen in plan View in Fig. 1;

i Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view through a belt structure employing the improved, non-stretching strands of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on line u 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the air baille incorporated in the drying chamber seen in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 7 isv a side elevation of a fragment ofthe 20 flexible strand of the present invention. 1'

'Ihe present invention is particularly concerned with employing substantially inextensible strand means for reinforced, rubberized belt structures. For example, inthe V-type of belt shown in Fig. 4 the belt body I0 is reinforced with one or more elements, loops or layers I2 of exible strands substantially midway of the upper and lower sides thereof which have substantially no longitudinal stretch but suicient ultimate strength produced in accordance with the invention. The beit body proper can be made up in any known or desired form so long as the body includes the reinforcing strands or strand.

The entire belt body may. if desired, be covered with a cross-woven fabricenvelope I6 to complete the assembly. The cords I2 lie substantially midway between the upper and lower faces of the belt at what is termed the neutral axis,

no different compression or tension of the belt during the time the belt is running over a pulley than in the runs thereof. Ordinarily, as the belt travels over the pulley the inner or narrow porthat is the position where therev is substantially tion of the belt is compressed while-the outer or wide portion of the belt is under tension and is stretched. In between is a neutral axis which is substantially midway between the upper and lower surfaces and it is at this position that I place the cords I2. Y

While only one particular type of belt has been illustrated specifically, it will be appreciated that the invention is applicable to the manufacture of substantially any form of belt having reinforcing vmeans embedded therein. Thus,

means for treating the flexible cord or strand and one embodiment of suitable apparatus has been shown in the drawings and will now be described.

Referring to Figs. I and 2, the numeral 20 indicates generally a dipping and tensioning device with the numerals 22 and 24'indicating generally and respectively a drying chamber and a 'wind-up mechanism. The tensioning and dipping mechanism 20 is.showninside elevation in Fig. 3 and includes a-frarne or table 2 6 having a pair of uprights28 for removably mounting a spool or drum 30 of cord which has been indicated in strand form by the letter C throughout the drawings. An adjustable tensioning device 32 is provided for holding back the rotation of the cord spools 30.

Y' From the spool 30 the cordC passes through a porcelain eyelet 34 or other/*suitable means to a dipping tank 36 which contains an aqueous liquid. By an aqueous liquid is meant one which contains water or some other similar yagent which truly wets the fabric or cords so that a stretch can be applied to and retained in the same. The liquid may also contain a plastic setting medium such as latex which dries on the cords as they are stretched so that they will be maintained in a stretched condition. The invention yfurther contemplates first wetting and stretching and drying with a subsequent treating with a plastic setting agent such as rubber cement. The cord C is passed through the tank with the aid of rollers 38 positioned at the ends of the tank. and from there passes to a festooning device by way of an air blast in the form of the ring 40 for removing excess treating liquid from the cord. The festooning device includes a drum or sheave 42 journaled on the table 2B through the provision of a bracket 44 which also functions to pivotally support, as at 46, a lever bar 48 which journals a sheave 50. The lever 48 is adapted to be held downwardly through the action of a weight 52 adjustably secured at its upper end to the lever 48. The other end of the lever 48 is preferably provided with a brake shoe 56 which contacts with the wheel 42 to effect a tensioning and braking operation. The festooning device is completed by the provision of sheaves 58 mounted on suitable supports 60 secured to the table 26.

The cord C in leaving the last wheel 58 of the festooning device passes underneath a roller 62 mounted on the arm of an electric switch 64` and functioning to automatically shut off the current to the driving mechanism in case of breakage in the cord.

'I'he cord C after leaving the festooning device and the cutoff switch passes around a sheave 66 set on an angle to the remaining sheaves on the dipping mechanism 20 and from there the cord is passed to the drier as seen in Fig. 1.

The drier, shown generally at 22, comprises an oven-like body 10mounted upon a suitable frame 12 with a plurality of sheaves 14 and 15 being freely journaled on shafts 16 and y13. The cord C enters the oven 10 through a suitable tube 80 and passes back and forth over the sheaves 14 and 15 in flattened helical form until it is passed out through.the oven wall by way of tube 82.

Hot air or other drying means is provided in the oven 10 and this may be accomplished by offsetting the sides of the furnace wall 10, as at 86, and separating the offset portions of the oven from the string-containing portions by baiile walls 88 which are formed with a plurality of openings 90 therethrough which function to distributethe hot air supplied to the offset portions by way of pipes 92 and 94.

After leaving the drying oven the cord C passes over a sheave 98, thence under a sheave I journaled on a pivoted arm |02 which carries a. pointer |04 which is movablevover a scale |06 fixed to an extension |08 of the support 12 for the oven 10. A weight ||0 functions to hold the arm |02 in tensioning relation with the cord C.

From the sheave |00 the cord C runs over the sheave I6 and thence through an eye i I8 formed on the lower end of a guide arm |20 which is pivoted as at |22 upon the frame work |24 of the wind-up device shown generally at 24. The guide arm |20 is provided with a follower |26 which is received in the lever-winding or reverse cam groove |28 lof a guiding drum |30 with an additional bar and guide |32 being provided to assist in the Iproper handling of the guide bar |20. From the guide bar |20 the cord C is led over a drum |40 and thence to a wind-up spool |42 carried between end bearings held in substantially vertical guides.

Means are provided for driving the drum |40 and these means may include a motor |50 operating through a reduction gear |52 to drive the jack shaft 16 by way of sprocket chain |54'. A pulley |56 is mounted on the jack shaft 16 and through belt |58 drives pulley |60 mounted on the shaft of the drum |40.

Likewise the lever-winding drum 30 is driven as by providing sprockets |62 and |64 and link chain |66.

It is believed that the operation of the apparatus will be evident from the foregoing descrip- Ition thereof, however a brief summary of the process will now be made.

A spool or drum -30 of cord is applied on the dipping mechanism (shown generally at 20) and the cord is fed down through the dipping tank 36, the air blow 40, the festooning device and into the drying oven where the dipped cord treated,

saturated or coated with an aqueous liquid, having a true cord-wetting action, is dried while subjecting the cord to a tension in excess of about 25% of the breaking strength of the cord. The tension may be varied in accordance with the characteristics of the particular cord being operated upon, such variation ranging from the 25% minimum up to approximately 90% maximum. The exact tension on the cord is dependent on the character and position .of weight 52 and the tension of means 32 on the cord spool 30,

It will be evident that the drying oven is of sufficient length and capacity to insure the complete drying of the cord While under heavy tension. The oven may be formed with a removable top portion which will permit ready threading of the cord about the aligned sheaves 14 and 15. `Likewise any suitable or desired comb device may be incorporated on the oven structure if it is found advantageous in use.

From the drying oven 22 the cord is passed to the scale pulley |00 which permits a reading of the tension on the cord at any time. The cord is then passed to the lever-winding device |20 and the wind-up drum or spool |42. It

the current to the motor |50. It will be evident from the foregoing description that treated cords are readily and uniformly producedin which substantially all of the stretch has been permanently removed from the cords by a liquid treating operation with a subsequent drying under controlled tension. The flexible strands so produced are particularly adapted to be employed as reinforcing elements in belts and render the same substantially inextensible.

While in accordance with the patent statutes several forms of applicants invention have been specifically illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that the scope of the invention is not limited thereto or thereby but is dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. That method of making belts which comprises wetting a cord with an aqueous solution of latex, drying the latex on the cord while maintaining the cord at a tension in excess of -25% of its breaking strength, and building the cord into the body of a belt for strengthening purposes.

2. That method of making belts which comprises continuously stretching a. cord, continuously wetting the cord with water, continuously drying the cord while maintaining the cord at a ses' 3 tension in excess of 25% of its breaking strength, and building the cord in loops into the body of a belt for strengthening purposes.

3. That method of making belts which comprises stretching .a cord, rubberizing the cord, blowing excess rubberizing material from the cord, setting the rubber on the cord while maintaining the cord at a tension of between substantially 20% and 90% of its breaking strength, and building the cord in loops into the body of a belt for strengthening purposes.

4. That method of making stretchless cords which comprises wetting a cord, blowing excess wetting material from the cord, drying the Acord while maintaining the cord at a tension of between substantially 20% and 90% of its breaking strength 5. The process Vof making a substantially stretchless cord comprising the steps of passing the cord through an aqueous dispersion of latex to penetrate the bers of the cord completely, stretching the cord in excess of 25% of its breaking strength and maintaining the cord in a stretched condition while subjecting the cord to the action of a drying medium for a time suiiicient to thoroughly dry same.

6. The process of making a substantially stretchless cord comprising the steps of passing the cord through an aqueous dispersion of latex to penetrate the bers of the cord completely, stretching the cord to 25% to 90% of its breaking strength and maintaining the cord in a stretched condition while subjecting the cord to the action of a drying medium for a. time sumcient to thoroughly dry same.

ELMER G. KIMMICH. 

